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The Anarchist Prince: A Biographical Study of Peter Kropotkin
Born in 1842 into an ancient military family of Russian princes, Kropotkin was selected as a child for the elite Corps of Pages by Tsar Nicholas I himself. Shortly before his death in 1921, he had moved so far from his aristocratic beginnings and attained such stature as a libertarian leader that he could write with impunity to Lenin, “Vladimir Ilyich, your concrete actions are completely unworthy of the ideas you pretend to hold.”The Anarchist Prince details the life that flowed between these two points in time - Kropotkin's rejection of an army career, his awakening to anarchist principles, his arrest and daring escape from Russia to the West, his impressive scientific achievements, his exile in England, and, most of all, his unfailing devotion to humanity.
1971 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
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About the author
George Woodcock
188 books46 followersWoodcock was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, but moved with his parents to England at an early age, attending Sir William Borlase's Grammar School in Marlow and Morley College. Though his family was quite poor, Woodcock had the opportunity to go to Oxford University on a partial scholarship; however, he turned down the chance because he would have had to become a member of the clergy.Instead, he took a job as a clerk at the Great Western Railway and it was there that he first became interested in anarchism (specifically libertarian socialism). He was to remain an anarchist for the rest of his life, writing several books on the subject.
It was during these years that he met several prominent literary figures, including T. S. Eliot and Aldous Huxley and became good friends with George Orwell despite ideological disagreements. Woodcock later wrote The Crystal Spirit (1966), a critical study of Orwell and his work which won a Governor General's Award.
Woodcock spent World War II working on a farm, as a conscientious objector. At Camp Angel in Oregon, a camp for conscientious objectors, he was a founder of the Untide Press, which sought to bring poetry to the public in an inexpensive but attractive format. Following the war, he returned to Canada, eventually settling in Vancouver, British Columbia. In 1955, he took a post in the English department of the University of British Columbia, where he stayed until the 1970s. Around this time he started to write more prolifically, producing several travel books and collections of poetry, as well as the works on anarchism for which he is best known.
Towards the end of his life, Woodcock became increasingly interested in what he saw as the plight of Tibetans. He travelled to India, studied Buddhism, became friends with the Dalai Lama and established the Tibetan Refugee Aid Society. He and his wife Inge also established Canada India Village Aid, which sponsors self-help projects in rural India. Both organizations exemplify Woodcock's ideal of voluntary cooperation between peoples across national boundaries.
George and Inge also established a program to support professional Canadian writers. The Woodcock Fund, which began in 1989, provides financial assistance to writers in mid-book-project who face an unforeseen financial need that threatens the completion of their book. The Fund is available to writers of fiction, creative non-fiction, plays, and poetry. The Woodcocks helped create an endowment for the program in excess of two million dollars. The Woodcock Fund program is administered by the Writers’ Trust of Canada and has distributed $887,273 to 180 Canadian writers, as of March 2012.
It was during these years that he met several prominent literary figures, including T. S. Eliot and Aldous Huxley and became good friends with George Orwell despite ideological disagreements. Woodcock later wrote The Crystal Spirit (1966), a critical study of Orwell and his work which won a Governor General's Award.
Woodcock spent World War II working on a farm, as a conscientious objector. At Camp Angel in Oregon, a camp for conscientious objectors, he was a founder of the Untide Press, which sought to bring poetry to the public in an inexpensive but attractive format. Following the war, he returned to Canada, eventually settling in Vancouver, British Columbia. In 1955, he took a post in the English department of the University of British Columbia, where he stayed until the 1970s. Around this time he started to write more prolifically, producing several travel books and collections of poetry, as well as the works on anarchism for which he is best known.
Towards the end of his life, Woodcock became increasingly interested in what he saw as the plight of Tibetans. He travelled to India, studied Buddhism, became friends with the Dalai Lama and established the Tibetan Refugee Aid Society. He and his wife Inge also established Canada India Village Aid, which sponsors self-help projects in rural India. Both organizations exemplify Woodcock's ideal of voluntary cooperation between peoples across national boundaries.
George and Inge also established a program to support professional Canadian writers. The Woodcock Fund, which began in 1989, provides financial assistance to writers in mid-book-project who face an unforeseen financial need that threatens the completion of their book. The Fund is available to writers of fiction, creative non-fiction, plays, and poetry. The Woodcocks helped create an endowment for the program in excess of two million dollars. The Woodcock Fund program is administered by the Writers’ Trust of Canada and has distributed $887,273 to 180 Canadian writers, as of March 2012.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 14, 2024
I have a soft spot for Kropotkin because The Conquest of Bread converted me to anarcho-communism, so I was eager to read his biography.
The Anarchist Prince is an impressive work as it not only details Kropotkin’s life, but also important events and issues in Europe during Kropotkin’s lifetime. For example, there are slight tangents into Russian feudalism; philosophies based on Darwin, Huxley, and Hobbes; and Kropotkin’s roundabout connection to Franz Ferdinand’s assassination. I learned that Marx and Bakunin were contemporaries and would often debate each other; Kropotkin’s status previous to being imprisoned/exiled was as high as one could be without being royalty; Kropotkin was friends with Malatesta and Goldman; Kropotkin escaped from prison; and he was exiled from Russia for forty years and only allowed back after the revolution(s).
I also appreciated the author’s refusal to romanticize Kropotkin—he was far from a perfect anarcho-communist as I’m fairly certain he was a benevolent sexist, unknowingly promoted technological advances in agriculture at the expense of the environment, and, in a feat of mental gymnastics, supported WWI.
Notably, chapter seven summarizes Kropotkin’s key writings. I would recommend reading this chapter to anyone wanting to become familiar with Kropotkin’s works without having to read them all.
Overall, The Anarchist Prince is a worthwhile resource for not only understanding Kropotkin, but also anarcho-communism in general and European (particularly Russian) history during this period.
The Anarchist Prince is an impressive work as it not only details Kropotkin’s life, but also important events and issues in Europe during Kropotkin’s lifetime. For example, there are slight tangents into Russian feudalism; philosophies based on Darwin, Huxley, and Hobbes; and Kropotkin’s roundabout connection to Franz Ferdinand’s assassination. I learned that Marx and Bakunin were contemporaries and would often debate each other; Kropotkin’s status previous to being imprisoned/exiled was as high as one could be without being royalty; Kropotkin was friends with Malatesta and Goldman; Kropotkin escaped from prison; and he was exiled from Russia for forty years and only allowed back after the revolution(s).
I also appreciated the author’s refusal to romanticize Kropotkin—he was far from a perfect anarcho-communist as I’m fairly certain he was a benevolent sexist, unknowingly promoted technological advances in agriculture at the expense of the environment, and, in a feat of mental gymnastics, supported WWI.
Notably, chapter seven summarizes Kropotkin’s key writings. I would recommend reading this chapter to anyone wanting to become familiar with Kropotkin’s works without having to read them all.
Overall, The Anarchist Prince is a worthwhile resource for not only understanding Kropotkin, but also anarcho-communism in general and European (particularly Russian) history during this period.
July 5, 2019
Essential.
July 22, 2009
George Woodcock was a great critic and an even better historian. He was also an anarchist of the classic British strain. This biography and 'study' was critical in my understanding of the anarchist ideal and the host of characters, especially the significant Russian figures. crucial to its evolution.
December 11, 2012
A gripping account of a very interesting life.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews